


Love's a game, wanna play ?

by e_misuteri



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Denial of Feelings, Double masturbation, Growing feelings, M/M, Training Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 03:49:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4289664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_misuteri/pseuds/e_misuteri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the "training camp" prompt of the Kurotsukki week (and a half)~ <br/>(and also a bit of "battle of the trash heap")</p><p>Karasuno and Nekoma are meeting for a joint training camp. The captain of Tokyo’s team wants to find another activity aside volleyball and is looking for a new exciting game. No female presence can satisfy his desire so... how about this first year tall blondie with an annoyed look here ? </p><p>Love may be a game after all, you wanna play ?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue & "Nice to meet you, where you been ?"

**Author's Note:**

> → This work is a contribution to the fabulous Kurotsukki week (and a half), under the prompt "training camp"~
> 
> → This fanfic gathers many of my "first times" as a writer (I won't make a list here since it's really long), so... please be clement with me ;__;
> 
> → The story takes place in an imaginary training camp : there's some links with the manga but... let's say it's a sort of UA ? ^^"
> 
> → The lyrics you'll find while reading comes from "Blank space" by Taylor Swift ! ♥
> 
> → I apologize in advance for all the mistakes / lack of vocabulary / OOC you could find in this work; I re-read several times before posting though...

**Prologue**

There was a boy who always set ambitious goals; where the other just believed efforts were useless;

There was a boy who couldn’t give up, how matter how difficult it was; while the other just looked away, to the point people believed he was just avoiding the obstacles;

There was a boy who always wanted to try new things, new activities… and someone who also could quickly get bored of any game; when the other was just content in his routine, not even daring to try another things.

Because of these differences, Kuroo Tetsurou and Tsukishima Kei weren’t the type who could get along, and yet… !

This is the story of a black cat who got bored of his toys and who was yearning to reach the full moon he could see in a clear yet dark sky.

_A sky full of stars._

* * *

 

After their practice match, Karasuno and Nekoma decided to hold a joint training camp together. It was the perfect opportunity to know more about the regulars of Karasuno : Kuroo was really observant and obviously noticed the four new members in the team, consisting of a small middle-blocker able to hit the crazy toss of an arrogant setter, a tall blondie and his friend. Among those four new members, one was particularly attracting Kuroo’s attention : the tallest.

_Nice to meet you, where you been? I could show you incredible things._

It wasn’t their first meeting, and Kuroo already talked to him : it was just one or two lines, and the boy answered him really coldly, but he had something standing out for the captain : it wasn’t just because he was tall… maybe it’s because he was mysterious, and Kuroo wanted to know more about him. The first practice camp was really the opportunity to get to learn more about him; unfortunately, the first days, apart from volleyball techniques, their interactions weren’t this deep : “You are already awake ?“, “You don’t eat that much.”, “Maybe you can stay and play cards with us ?”; not knowing himself why he wanted to talk to him, Kuroo used the excuse that he was the only one he talked to apart from Karasuno’s captain; and also, he seemed to be interesting.

_Saw you there and I thought_  
_Oh my God, look at that face_  
_You look like my next mistake._

He didn’t think he was doing something wrong : he just wanted to feed his curiosity, and it could be a good way to kill time aside from playing volleyball. Why do this boy had to look this annoyed ? Why do he had to be this sarcastic ? Where did he learnt to play volleyball ? As he was trying to know more about Tsukishima, the captain was sensing some kind of danger : he knew the more he wanted to discover about him, the more he was attracted to him… and that’s what he wanted to avoid. As days were passing, the situation didn’t change : Tsukishima seemed to be as mysterious as the first days and Kuroo began to be really desperate. Himself didn’t know why he was this “attracted” to the first year, and before he noticed it, it was a kind of game : Tsukishima seemed to be interesting, not only to discover, but also to tease.

Without really noticing it at first, Kuroo’s gaze was always laid upon Tsukishima : he wanted to look at him, watch his movements, the way he interacts with the others… but it wasn’t enough. Just laying his gaze upon him didn’t quench his curiosity; Kenma, Kuroo’s childhood friend, was worried about his current state but didn’t say anything : he was just here to bring him back to reality when the captain was daydreaming, or when his eyes couldn’t stop watching Tsukishima.  
“Does he intrigue you this much, this first year ?” simply asked Kenma.  
“He’s not… at least I don’t think so. I just found another interesting game. Sorry, there must be something wrong about me these past days…” answered Kuroo, a little absent-minded.

Kenma just stared at his friend a moment before saying he’d wait for him to eat together. As all the members cleaned the ground, Kuroo finally realized the training was over for the morning. It finished without any interaction with Tsukishima, and the third year was somehow disappointed. There weren’t so many days left to the training camp, so he had to take action now, or his game would be over. Kuroo smiled at his own thought : he had an excuse to approach Tsukishima without feeling guilty… it was just a mean to kill the time, and nothing else.

_Love's a game, wanna play ?_

Cleaning was almost done, and some of the regulars were heading to the refectory to take their meal. Tsukishima was one of the last members to leave the gymnasium, and Kuroo just missed this opportunity to ask him to eat with them, since the boy didn’t seem to take any interest in his intense gaze. Noticing he wouldn’t get any chance anyway to speak to him at this moment, he decided to go by himself, sighing.  
  
When he reached the refectory, he saw Tsukishima and his friend taking their meal; fortunately for him, he didn’t begin to eat, so Kuroo could use this opportunity to talk to him more deeply. He stayed still some minutes, watching whether the tall boy was sitting on a table or not; his teammates were looking at him, a surprised look on their faces… and Kenma has a desperate look at his friend, and for a second thought he pitied him : he was looking like a child waiting for its Christmas present, looking at left and right, with sparkling eyes.

The moment when the first years chose a table to sit in, Kuroo began to whistle and fainted to take a seat just behind the boy he wanted to talk to.  
“I’m really pumped for this afternoon’s training ! Not you, Tsukki ?” heard the captain.  
“You’re too noisy, Yamaguchi”, simply answered the one who Kuroo has eyes for.  
The third year was waiting for the right moment to barge into their conversation and maybe eat with them. As he was waiting, his mind began to shake, and he wasn’t sure whether he could speak to him or not… and it’s when he was about to give up that he remembered the video he watched the day before with Yamamoto, which was a motivational speech :

“You should get to the point where anyone else would quit and you’re not going to stop there. NO ! What are you waiting for ?! DO IT ! JUST DO IT !”

Closing his eyes for a moment, and taking a deep breath, he finally decides to get up of his chair and head to the table where Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were.

“Hey, glasses-kun ! What are you eating ?” asked Kuroo, as he was trying to act cool in front of him. The two boys looked at the same time the captain; Yamaguchi was surprised, and Kuroo couldn’t see Tsukishima’s eyes, which was hidden by his glasses reflection. They then look back in their bowls, and after a sigh, Tsukishima answered : “Just the same as you all,” before adding : “and I already told you, my name is Tsukishima.”  
“Haha, yeah, that’s right !” sweated nervously Kuroo, putting his hand at the back of his head and laughing loudly, much at Tsukishima’s annoyance. He then took the seat next to the blondie before asking, in a sexy voice : “can I eat with you ?”

_And I know you heard about me_  
_So hey, let's be friends_  
_I'm dying to see how this one ends_

Tsukishima immediately moved back wearing a disgusted expression when he saw Kuroo sitting next to him. Yamaguchi, in front of him, didn’t change his expression from earlier : he was still surprised, and was wondering why the captain of Tokyo’s team was speaking to his friend; while looking at Kuroo’s hands, Yamaguchi asked in a small voice : “Uhm, but Kuroo-san… where is your tray… ?”

This question made the effect of a shock in his mind : Kuroo realized he didn’t have any tray; so all his motivation earlier, his cool tone, and his question… all was failing through. The boy was now feeling miserable and didn’t even dare to look back at Tsukishima who proceeded to begin eating his meal while ignoring Kuroo. Silently, the latter left the table, without answering Yamaguchi’s question, even forgetting to take his own tray before he left the refectory.

Kenma watched the whole thing while he was eating his own meal.

Outside, Kuroo let out a big sigh : none of his tentatives to get closer to Tsukishima succeed. “This game is not easy to win…” he thought, while falling vertically, putting his elbows on the knees. He didn’t know how he could return to the afternoon training in this state… this was just a game he began by himself, so did this have to hurt his pride this much ?

Still in his thoughts, he jumped of surprise when he felt something cold on his cheek : it was Kenma, who ate quickly his meal so he could check on Kuroo’s state.  
“If you’re not eating something, you’re going to collapse at afternoon’s training…” gently declared Kenma, “… I don’t know what’s happening with that tall blondie, but don’t let that get to you this much.” He then gave his friend the cold drink he brought to him.  
“You’re really thoughtful for once, Kenma. What’s wrong with you ?” asked Kuroo in a teasing tone.  
“This should be my line, Kuroo. You already noticed this but you’re not in your normal state these past days,” coldly replied the pudding head.  
“You’re maybe right,” stated the captain while getting up, putting his hand on his elbow to help him, “but I’m going to win this game,” he declared proudly.  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about...” mumbled Kenma.  
“Oh, I just let my thoughts speak. Don’t worry about it.” Kuroo simply said, while getting away from Kenma; he put the cold drink on his right hand, and lifted up his arm while shaking the container and thanking him. The captain didn’t know why but he had the feeling the afternoon’s training would be decisive : speaking to a friend was the best way to erase his past mistakes.

_I can make the bad guys good for a weekend._

Time for the afternoon training came, and Kuroo fortunately managed to grab some food before returning to the gymnasium; he decided to change his tactics because a game without any hurdle wouldn’t be exciting : Kuroo just got right to choose this target. What was the best to do according to him was first to show-off his volleyball abilities, talking to him about it, and then trying to get closer to him… _by any means_.

The first training match of the afternoon began : as Kuroo expected, and decided as a captain, Tsukishima was in the adverse team as a middle-blocker; Kuroo was occupying the same position in the rival team. A smirk on his face, he was determined to make his plan a success. The whole team noticed the captain was more pumped up than usual : his pride was at strike here… he would make regret to Tsukishima to hurt him like he did before. When the whistle ringed out, Kuroo’s plan could begin to take place; as usual, Nekoma managed to have a great game; all the teammates were solid, Kenma’s brain was functioning very well; and even though they already had a match against them before, Karasuno had some difficulties to even win a set. As time passed, and as points were marked by each or another of the team, the moment Kuroo was waiting for finally arrived; a showdown against Tsukishima, as two different middle-blockers. As he was expecting, the difference in the abilities was blatant : the captain won this little confrontation and the first part of his plan succeed; when the two of them crossed their look, Kuroo took the opportunity to provoke him : “I’m going to win this, glasses-kun… oops, I mean, _Tsukishima_.”; the way he said his name was a little condescending, and Kuroo felt it was annoying the boy with glasses.

“That’s right, just hate me, or whatever you want… but you’ll definitely think of me this way,” he thought, a smirk on his face. The captain was just so ecstatic he managed to get a reaction other than ignorance from the first year.

At the end of the match, the result was disappointing for Tsukishima : his team lost, and even though he hated to recognize it, he already knew the gap between his blocking abilities and Kuroo’s was quite wide… and his pride couldn’t stand it : it was just a club, so why did he had to give his everything to train ? At that moment, he was balanced between two reactions : glaring at him or just “gently” asking him to teach him blocking … but that would mean to “ask something” and this would cause too much damage to his apparent self-confidence.

As another match was taking place with other members, Tsukishima took a break and was sitting at an edge of the gymnasium; Kuroo was wiping-off his sweat, a bit more tired than usual since he wanted to show-off his abilities. “Did it work or not ? I’m not even sure… I managed to annoy him but I’m not yet satisfied…” was thinking the captain.  
Still standing up and grabbing his towel in one hand, he decided to approach the boy he has been having eyes for since the beginning of this training camp, determined to make him accept his offer :

“Hey. Good work earlier. Want me to teach you other blocking techniques ? I’m sure you already noticed your abilities aren’t enough… come on, you’re a clever player after all. This is a training camp, we’re here to help you… also, if you don’t manage to win against us now, you don’t stand a chance against Shiratorizawa. According to what I heard, they’re really strong,” stated the boy, trying to say something captain-ish.

Some seconds went by before Tsukishima closed his eyes and stood up, helping himself with his hand on his knee, still wearing his pads. Since Kuroo was almost as high as Tsukishima, this wasn’t this impressive, but the captain was actually startled because he thought Tsukishima would ignore him once more and throw some hurtful words at his face. However, he just looked at him a moment before declaring : “… okay, if you insist.”


	2. "You can tell me when it's over, if the high was worth the pain."

_So it's gonna be forever_  
_Or it's gonna go down in flames_

At the moment Kuroo heard his answer, a smile immediately appeared on his face : his plan was a great success ! This way, he could be closer to Tsukishima, and know many more things about him.

_The game just started to be interesting… !_

The one who suggested training Tsukishima set the hour for the evening, after the dinner. The first evening, Tsukishima was a little reluctant to come, and Kuroo was so excited that he ended up coming too early… it wasn’t this interesting for Tsukishima, because there were mainly theoretical notions, and just some minutes of “actual” training; this evening, Kuroo was yearning to ask him many questions, but Tsukishima seemed too distant for him and also on his guards so he didn’t dare doing anything.  
The next evenings, there was much more training with a ball, and the two of them were sweating a lot; trying to be thoughtful, he gave a towel to Tsukishima, and the latter just thanked Kuroo… and nothing else. As the sessions passed, they managed to speak in a more casual way, and even conversing about other subjects than volleyball : this way, the captain knew more about his school life, or some of the things he liked… also this day, he taught him there was not only the balls he had to block… but Tsukishima didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence.  
As days and evenings were passing, Kuroo was strongly believing they got to be closer—in terms or mind and also in body— and he also noticed that Tsukishima was less and less on his guards... so this one evening, when he initiated a physical contact on his arms, he thought Tsukishima would accept him; but maybe it was too early for this kind of “events” to happen in the game. “P—Please stop it,” said in an apparent coward way Tsukishima.

The way he rejected him hurt Kuroo : it wasn’t just a matter of pride now, he felt something was different… his heart was involved. He had the sensation to get closer to Tsukishima, even though it was just him thinking that… he didn’t want to admit it but he was certainly in love with him, surely from the time he saw him for the second time; yet, he took as an excuse a so-said game to get closer to him, to know more about him… and more than anything, he was eager to make him the person he’d cherish forever.

On another nightfall, they had finished earlier than usual, and Tsukishima wasn’t in the mood to return to the dormitory… because he was also victim of these moments where he was getting closer to Kuroo… and it was pretty dangerous to him : he didn’t get to sleep properly the past nights, because his head was full of thoughts about Kuroo; and he was himself surprised when he actually thought he was looking forward to the “evening training session”… his face was getting red as he was thinking about it, and Yamaguchi was worried about him. “It’s nothing,” was he saying when his childhood friend was asking if there was something wrong.

The same evening, they wanted to be only the two of them : Kuroo didn’t realize he was in love with Tsukishima but was really enthusiast at the idea he wanted to stay, and Tsukishima wanted to confirm what he was discovering about his own feelings towards Kuroo; the two of them remained silent the time they were cleaning the gymnasium; at first it was just Kuroo looking for an opportunity to break this silence, but eventually Tsukishima also joined his game, without really wanting it nor asking for it; their eyes were looking for each other : when one was stopping to clean and started to glance, the other was avoiding the look; when their eyes crossed, they both looked away… for different reasons; Kuroo felt his cheeks were in fire, while Tsukishima wanted to avoid Kuroo’s gaze, because he had the impression something was changing, and he was afraid.

It was now _their_ game.

They cleaned the net and the balls like this, while playing to their own version of a “looking game”; when finally came the moment to clean the ground with the mop, Kuroo decided to break the glass first and ask something he was yearning for a long time to him : “T—Tsukishima… mind giving me your phone number… ?”; at the sudden question, the blondie stopped moving the mop and stayed immobile for some seconds, trying to actually realize what Kuroo was asking him. “Um, if you don’t want then I won’t say anything… just, it would be good to have something to communicate by another mean than seeing each other face-to-face… I mean, the training camp is almost over and—hey, do you listen to what I’m saying, Tsukishima ?” continued Kuroo, noticing Tsukishima’s look in the void.

The first year was still analyzing what he just heard, and didn’t believe it at first; but his ears were perfectly working and he couldn’t have misheard a question this clear; he just let out a discreet sigh, to hide the fact his heart was beginning to pound like crazy : so even after the training camp, Kuroo wanted to keep in touch with him ? That sounded amazing and almost unreal.

“Y—Yeah, sure. When we’ll finish cleaning the ground I’ll… give you my number,” simply said the boy, although he was boiling inside. At his answer Kuroo was near to jump at the ceiling, and declared, almost screaming : “For real ?! Thank you, Tsukishima ! Oh, and also,” continued the captain, “I heard your friend calling you ‘Tsukki’, so I was wondering if I could… too… uhm…”; at this moment, the atmosphere became awkward : Kuroo realized he was going “too far”, because with just him agreeing to give his phone number was as if he spent a month worth of luck; Kuroo stopped to talk, hoping Tsukishima wouldn’t mind him for being too “carried away” on his point of view… but the latter was busy discovering his awakening maiden heart.

“… I was just wondering if, I… could call you too ‘Tsukki’ ? If you don’t mind of course !” suddenly exclaimed Kuroo. Tsukishima was absent-minded as he was trying to understand what was changing in him so he just let out this short answer : “Do as you wish,” as he continued fainting to clean the ground so he wouldn’t be disturbed by the “useless” thoughts that began to pop in his mind. Kuroo smiled as he returned to sweep the ground and the cleaning finished in silence.

When they finally finished cleaning the ground and putting the mops in the equipment room, Kuroo stopped Tsukishima who was about to leave the gymnasium : “Uhm… you didn’t forget about the thing I asked you earlier… Tsukki ?” asked in a surprisingly shy way Kuroo. “A—Ah. Sorry, I’ll go pick up my phone in my bag,” answered hastily Tsukishima, apparently panicked. Kuroo watched his back as he was reaching his bag, a kind smile illuminating his face : he began to realize what he really felt for the boy, and even thought he was kind of cute when in a haste.

The captain didn’t wait for the first year to come back to him; his phone was already in his pocket so he simply walked until reaching the place where Tsukishima was; he then took his phone out of his pocket and waited patiently for Tsukishima to tell him his phone number, as he asked it earlier. “So, here’s my phone number…” begins Tsukishima as he was telling the numbers in a slow tone so that Kuroo could have the time to actually enter the number in his phone. “H—Here’s mine !” said enthusiastically at his turn Kuroo as he was hesitating and at the same time has an excited tone in his voice when telling the number to Tsukishima. He was really delighted to actually have the number of the boy he loved in his directory.

When they finished exchanging their numbers, they lost any reason to stay together for this evening; indeed, it was getting late and the boys had to get up early the day after for the morning practice. While preparing to return to their respective dormitories, and getting out of the gymnasium where Kuroo switched off the lights and closed the door, they were both outside, hearing the noises that only the night made; they felt like this night was only theirs, their moment, that they could share just the two of them.

Unfortunately, they had to part ways as the wind became too strong, and they just had the time to say a good night before returning to their dormitories. When he came back, Yamaguchi was really worried : “Why are you coming back this late, Tsukki ?! I knew you had your evening training with Kuroo-san but you came back later than usual !” Question that he simply answered with a “You’re too loud, Yamaguchi,” before entering the bathroom; under the water, he was really wondering what was going on with his heart and his mind : the latter was full of thoughts concerning Kuroo, while his heart was still beating loudly as he was remembering the last moment of this evening…

The following day would be the last day when he could spend an evening like this with the boy… who was already occupying his entire mind. On this thought he closed his eyes for some seconds, before realizing he was still in the bath; proceeding to what he has to do inside, he finished quickly before changing into his pajama and directly head to his bed. While trying to sleep, this one thought was constantly crossing his mind : “Tomorrow is the last day,” he was repeating to himself, until he fell asleep…

 _You can tell me when_ _it's over  
If the high was worth the pain_

The day after, when Tsukishima woke up, he had the sensation he didn’t sleep that well, because of a “certain” person he was thinking of —or rather, dreaming about— all along the night; when he finally get out of his bed, he coolly headed to the refectory to take his breakfast. During the training camp, the rule stated that members of both teams were waking up at the same time to take their meals together : and obviously, the breakfast wasn’t an exception. While taking his tray, Tsukishima was watching out if the captain of the rival team was here; trying to be as discreet as possible so his teammates wouldn’t notice him, he was just doing some quick movements with his eyes. Fortunately for him, the closest person to him, Yamaguchi, was fainting not noticing it, as he was aware his friend didn’t want to speak about it.

When Tsukishima found a table where sitting and because his teammates were all beginning to eat, the boy decided to dig in his breakfast, and at the moment he was about to have the first bite of his meal, he heard many voices coming from the entrance of the refectory. The blondie instinctively turned his head to see who was arriving : Nekoma team, still in pajama, entered casually into the room.  
“Yo, Karasuno ! You’re in high spirits too today ! Let’s do our best for our last day together !” greeted the captain, Kuroo. Not a single look or a single word was directed to Tsukishima. A little disappointed, the boy returned eat his breakfast as quickly as he could, without even dare to watch or look at Kuroo, who was laughing and joking with the members of his team.

When he had finished to eat, he was wondering why Kuroo didn’t go to see him at the table like he did some days earlier; what happened the day before has no meaning for him ? Why did he have to upset him like that ? It’s not like he wanted a personal greeting, but at least, something coming from him, like waving his hand or something like that… he preferred ignoring than being ignored, and more than hurting his pride, it also hurt his heart. He was actually happy when Kuroo asked for his phone number, and he also had the sensation to get closer to the captain, especially when there was just the two of them in the gymnasium during their “evening training session”… but maybe it was too late for him to think about it now.

Over-thinking about it, he felt pissed-off. There was “no particular reason”, and even Tsukishima himself was desperate for his own case. He didn’t know why he had to feel this kind of strong emotion. Kuroo was just a fellow player, like him, and he was just here to teach him blocking techniques, that’s all; their relationship wasn’t nothing more than that. “Pathetic”, whispered Tsukishima, as he left his tray on the table before getting out of the refectory. Kuroo watched his back as he was leaving, not trying anything to retain him.

At the morning training, the tall boy tried his best not to look at Kuroo anymore, but he didn’t manage to do this well : every time he wasn’t paying attention, he was finding himself staring at him, before looking away when he was realizing what he was doing. He saw nothing but him, and was waiting for an occasion to speak to him, and just maybe having an eye-contact; but the captain didn’t look at all at him; even worst, he had the impression he was avoiding him.

_“Let’s see which one of us will win this game.”_

This period continued, and the two of them were almost at their limits : no one knew how much Kuroo had to retain himself to not to speak, to look, or even to notice Tsukishima, and no one knew how much Kuroo’s attitude was hurting the latter; but as time passed, they were about giving up : their hearts couldn’t take it anymore. It was starting to be way too harmful.

 _'Cause you know I love the players_  
_And you love the game_

Both of them didn’t have any notion of the time anymore, and all they could see now was for one a tall blondie, and for the other a third year with bed hair. As their training continued, they both tried to concentrate much more on their tactics for a match than on the “person” that was trying to monopolize their entire thoughts and their hearts. It’s only when they heard a ruckus more noisy than the minutes earlier that they understood it was time to go eat their meal.

As the members were heading out to the refectory, both of them knew it was useless to begin a conversation here, as they were believing for different reasons that one was avoiding the other, and vice-versa. Their bodies were here, but their minds were wandering far away… how could this be over like this ? It’s the last day and they were not even able to have a decent conversation; plus they were both feeling hurt and guilty, and even though Kuroo did it on purpose, he had to recognize it was pretty hurtful.

They both let out a sigh before joining their respective teams in the refectory. Nothing particular happened at that moment; Kuroo wanted so bad to talk to him, but he was feeling Tsukishima was far away for him… that he couldn’t reach him even with all his efforts. Even though he was laughing and smiling as usual to his teammates, he was actually pondering inside.  
Tsukishima had a gloomy atmosphere around him, and fortunately for him, all his teammates believed it was because the training didn’t run through like he wanted. He was wondering why Kuroo was taking his attitude in front of him especially today, knowing that the day before, everything went perfectly between them… so why ? Did he do something wrong to him without even noticing it ? Did Kuroo came to hate him after discovering he was “like that” after all these evening trainings ? He didn’t know, but couldn’t help himself to over-think about it… _once more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will reach its climax at the next chapter~ ! 8'D


	3. "It'll leave you breathless, or with a nasty scar."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW at the end of this chapter ! 8'D  
> *spray myself with holy water*

' _Cause we're young and we're reckless_  
_We'll take this way too far_

Once they finished to eat their meals, the afternoon training could begin : all the members were tired as it was their last day, but they all had in mind they had to do their best… except for two of them : the afternoon training beginning meant there was just few hours left and this training camp was over.

_Just few hours left and the game would be over._

How could this finish like that when they didn’t manage to speak to each other properly since the morning ? Which faces should they wear when it’d be time for the evening training session ? Maybe it’d be better for them not to do it anymore ? Their minds full of questions and their hearts full of grief, Kuroo and Tsukishima had no choice to continue training, for the sake of their own teams; however, time couldn’t even heal their painful feelings; because this was exactly what was triggering the countdown before they had to separate.

Pursuing their training like nothing happened, they tried their best to remain in a “normal state” for their friends and teammates not noticing something; running, speeding up, stretching, serves training and obviously blocking training as well as matches… just the time of the afternoon training, volleyball was the only thing that dominated in their heads; but not in their hearts. The fact their heartbeats were noisy was only due to their training _… not to anything else_.

In that spirit, while trying not to think about _something else,_ the training finished early for both of them. When the time to clean the gymnasium came, the two boys were all sweaty; thinking only about volleyball was a good thing, but it was really tiring. Karasuno’s captain was really glad Tsukishima gave his all in the training, but was wondering what happened for him to give “this” amount of efforts; him who usually limited his physical efforts because “it was just a club”. For Tsukishima, spending these efforts was required for him to not let his mind wandering where his heart was.

Breathing loudly, both of them let their guard down, moment when their eyes crossed for the first time since the morning. Both of them were surprised and immediately looked away. It was certainly not the best solution, but how could they possibly talk to each other, now that the gap that was dividing them was wider than ever ?

None of them wanted to help with cleaning, but they had to do it anyway; fortunately for them, it finished quickly and they could return in their dormitories, for some free time. Since he returned to the collective room, Tsukishima was feeling uneasy, worried and almost afraid : the event that was coming right after the free time and their dinner was the “session”. Sure their eyes crossed for some seconds at the afternoon training, but the tall boy couldn’t say whether Kuroo was mad or actually glad watching at his expression... that he didn’t catch. He just knew he crossed his eyes… and that made his heart panic. Sat on his bed, he grabbed his knees to bend them so he could put his chin on them, while wrapping his arms around his legs.

Tsukishima was wondering if he really has to come this last evening : usually, Kuroo would remind him not to forget coming, but since they didn’t talk all trainings long this day, he couldn’t know if the training was still maintained or not. Taking a take breath, he buried his head into his knees, not wanting anyone to see him in that “pathetic” state. When all the members said they would walk around the training camp to discover the surrounding area, the captain was wondering if Tsukishima wanted to go with them, so he sent Yamaguchi to go ask him; heading to their room where was his friend, he saw him the head buried in his knees, so he assumed he didn’t want to go anywhere… smiling kindly before coming back to his teammates, he just declared Tsukishima was feeling sick so he wouldn’t be able to come with them.

The tall boy remained some minutes deep into his thoughts. Himself didn’t want to think about it, but the more he wanted to throw aside his reflections, the more they were coming back into his head. Letting out an annoyed complaint, he finally decides to go anyway to the “evening session” of his training. This will be the last after all… and even if Kuroo wasn’t coming, he could train by himself.

Heading out his room, he went outside to throw a volley ball and catching it vertically, as well as other tasks he could do to keep busy his mind, waiting for his teammates to come back…  
When they finally came back after approximatively two hours, the regulars made the preparations for the dinner and all could dig into the last one they’d have together.

At the end of the dinner, Tsukishima came back quickly in his room to prepare his bag to head to the gymnasium; it was almost time for the event he was waiting for, and he couldn’t possibly miss it… “It’s the last time I’m going there,” he thought, while putting a water bottle into his bag. Night was falling quickly at this period of the year, so it was a bit chilly. Tsukishima decided to hurry and reach the gymnasium before getting too cold, since he was wearing only a tee-shirt and the sweat of his team, as well as a short.

When he arrived in front the gymnasium, he didn’t dare looking inside : the lights were on, so he thought someone else was using it. When he moved forward, next to the door, he put his hand on the entrance, and lowered his head, afraid to actually watch if “he” was inside. He then heard some quick steps movements coming to him. When he lifted up his head, he saw it was… the boy he was secretly waiting to see all the day. He took some deep breaths to try calming his heartbeats that suddenly raised.  
“Yo, Tsukki. I thought you wouldn’t come… I didn’t say anything earlier and… sorry. It—It’s our last evening together and—oh, how about coming inside ? You’ll catch a cold if you stay here,” said Kuroo with a gentle smile. Tsukishima just slowly nodded before entering the gymnasium. Kuroo closed the door behind them when Tsukishima was almost at the center of the court.

“How the hell did he manages to speak this casually to me when he avoided my look almost all the day ?” was thinking Tsukishima, trying to cool-off a little since he couldn’t control his emotions. Coming until here, he was still wondering why he came… but knew he’d have regret it if he hadn’t. He put his bag on a edge of the court and came back at the center of the court : the net and the balls were already ready to be used, so he expected to do the same thing as all the evenings; not that it wasn’t unpleasant : Tsukishima felt his blocking was way more effective comparing to before.

Kuroo joined him at the center of the court, reaching his height. He was closer than usual, to the point where their hands could touch. Kuroo began to take his hand to brush Tsukishima’s, testing his reaction. The latter was troubled, and began to blush : the fact that he was attracted to Kuroo was unavoidable… and he couldn’t even reject him, forgetting all about what happened earlier. Seeing that Tsukishima didn’t refuse him, he couldn’t stop himself, and began to stroke his hand, before moving to his arm, and finally grab gently his cheek, looking into Tsukishima’s eyes. Their eyes crossed for the second time of the day, and it was almost unbearable for both of them… their heartbeats were synchronizing, and inside them, they know both the desire they had for the other was real.

“Tsukki…” began to whisper Kuroo as he brought his head closer to Tsukishima’s to kiss him once. It was quick, but Tsukishima could feel Kuroo’s passion; his lips felt like burning, and he was hoping for more. “K—Kuroo-san…” answered back Tsukishima, as he looked away, too embarrassed; he felt like he couldn’t move, too attracted by the third year captain. “Don’t look away, Tsukki,” said Kuroo, using his two hands to catch Tsukishima’s head by his cheeks, and kissing him once more, with his tongue this time. Even with their tongues mixing up, Tsukishima couldn’t win this so-called battle against Kuroo; trying to win more space into Tsukishima’s mouth, Kuroo made some rough movements with his tongue, causing Tsukishima to let out some moans.

Proceeding to keep his mouth busy, Kuroo took advantage of the opportunity to let his hands on the tall boy’s hips, getting a scream out of him. He then stroked slowly his hips, before approaching his right hand to Tsukki’s crotch, before grabbing his hardened member; Kuroo could feel it between his fingers. At this moment, their kiss stopped, and even more embarrassed than before, Tsukishima brought his hand in front of his mouth, trying to hide his blushing cheeks; however, Kuroo’s movements, his gentle strokes, while still having his pants on… was extremely pleasant for him. “K—Kuroo-san… not… not here… somebody might… see us…” was trying to warn Tsukishima, as Kuroo’s movements were a bit rougher.

“Oooh ?” exclaimed Kuroo, stopping at once his movements, “so you mean if it’s not here, then it’ll be fine ?” he asked with a smirk on his face; he didn’t let the time to Tsukishima to answer, and took his wrist, taking him to the equipment room. Kuroo closed the door behind him, leaving them both in a dark room. There was a little window though, letting light entering. Once inside, door closed, Kuroo almost pounced on him to remove his short, discovering his hardened member. “You’re already this hard, Tsukki ? Huum, means I turned you on. Well, I’m saying it but… me too… I can’t retain myself any longer…” he said, as he kissed once more Tsukishima before stroking his length with his entire hand. Kuroo also took of his pants his manhood and began to stroke it at the same time. They both let out some passionate moans, alternating between the “quick” kisses, and those with tongue.

The room was now filled with their heat, as steam seemed to let out from their bodies, as well as sweat dripping from their face, and Tsukishima’s legs; their “training session” became a “sex session”, and both were going wild in their mind, knowing that their desire released at once. Tsukishima, in the heat of the moment, surrounded his arms around Kuroo’s neck, enjoying every movement he was doing on his cock. The captain was starting to feel frustrated as he was the only one pleasuring his partner. “T—Tsukki… maybe… try to… stroke mine too… ?” asked Kuroo, as he was on the verge of releasing his white liquid on Tsukishima’s shirt.

The latter didn’t answer anything; as Kuroo wanted, he released the captain’s neck to free his hands and brought his right hand on Kuroo’s cock before stroking it slowly. “L—Like this… ?” asked Tsukishima, a little unsure about what to do since it was his first time. The captain closed in eyes in pleasure while moaning : “T—That’s right. You’re good at this… T—Tsukki…” struggled to answer Kuroo, too busy thinking about not releasing too early. While they were continuing to pleasure each other, Kuroo’s came closer to Tsukishima’s ear to whisper : “It seems that… hhhngnn… I won… this game…” said Kuroo while taking a deep breath, and chuckling.  
  
_It'll leave you breathless_  
_Or with a nasty scar_

At this moment, Tsukishima didn’t seem to realize what Kuroo was saying and didn’t care; he just wanted to hear Kuroo’s letting out those shameless moans, as his heart was beating like crazy, feeling it was about to burst. Tsukishima’s movements were beginning to have more assertiveness, making Kuroo’s moans louder. He was surprised to see Tsukishima this bold, and the blondie was starting to appreciate this kind of “activity”.

“H—Hey. Don’t push the game too far, Tsukki,” warned the captain, “I said I won this… so… let me win !” he almost screamed, startling Tsukishima who stopped his movements. “W—What do you mean by this, Kuroo-san… ?” he asked in a surprised tone. “Hey Tsukki, don’t stop your movements,” almost ordered Kuroo, while ignoring his question, “you already made it this far so let me cum and if you’re a good boy, I’ll tell you…” he finished in a sexy tone. At this moment, Tsukishima considered putting back his pants and just escaping from Kuroo; A game ? He won ? What was the meaning of this ? Did he meant that all they did earlier, as well as the evenings they spent together were just _a game_ ?

_But I've got a blank space, baby_  
_And I'll write your name_

Seeing that Tsukishima couldn’t move anymore, too affected by what he just heard, Kuroo let out a big sigh before saying : “Hey Tsukki,” as he took his hand to lift up his head, “remember when I said there wasn’t just volley balls you had to block ?” he suddenly asked, a serious tone in his voice. Sure, Tsukishima was remembering he said there weren’t just balls he had to block, but he couldn’t understand why he was saying it.  
“… I was speaking about me at this moment. For our last evening together, and as your last training with me… I ask you to block me. All the time I was just trying to retain myself not to touch you or even look at you; that’s why earlier today, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to you because I knew I would have the need to do more; but now I just can’t stop myself so… please ? Just block me like you’d do in volleyball,” almost demanded Kuroo.

Opening his mouth a little, Tsukishima was trying to figure out what to answer to such a weird request. Why would he block him ? It was nonsense. He couldn’t make such a thing because he already accepted him, and he reached to the truth in his heart, although he didn’t want to admit it. “I… I can’t block you. There’s no way I could possibly do something like that ! You can throw me all the balls you want and I’ll block them… but I can’t block _you_.”  
As he said these words, the boy was realizing—once more—what he felt for Kuroo… and it came even stronger in his head, like a storm. No matter many times he wanted to refuse it, to bury these thoughts, to think about something else… the truth was hitting him no matter how far he wanted to escape.  
  
_But you'll come back each time you leave_  
_'Cause, darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream_

“… you’re really unfair, Tsukki,” simply said Kuroo while smiling gently, letting out a sigh. “Okay, I maybe went a little too far,” he continued, seeing Tsukishima was beginning to have the eyes wet, “but for the moment, mind caring about ‘our’ little problem down there ?” he finished, a teasing tone in his voice. Tsukishima completely forgot they were half-naked in the equipment room, proceeding to pleasure each other. They were both blushing, but resumed their little game some minutes more before reaching climax together.

“K—Kuroo-san… I’m sorry, I… in your hand…” apologized Tsukishima, blushing. He then saw Kuroo bringing his fingers to his mouth to lick them. “W—What are you doing ?! It’s dirty !” exclaimed Tsukishima, all flustered. Kuroo then laughed, and replied that it wasn’t, since it was Tsukki’s. The latter preferred taking a tissue to wipe off his fingers, covered by Kuroo’s juice. He could see he was pouting, since the captain was expecting Tsukishima to do the same he was doing with his; but well, since it was his first time, he couldn’t help it : the next time, he’d definitely make him drink his semen.

After this embarrassing moment between the two of them, they kissed each other before putting back their clothes and going back to the gymnasium; fortunately for him, they managed to do it pretty cleanly so there wasn’t any mark left of this heated moment they spent together. When they came back to the court, the lights were still on, so any person that was close to the place could believe they trained like usual.

Tsukishima took his bag and prepared to go out the gymnasium, checking the hour on his phone : there was still some time left, but since it was tiring, Tsukishima thought he wanted to go back earlier to sleep; when he walked to the door, Kuroo caught him by behind, surrounding his arms around his neck. They stood like this some minutes without saying anything before Tsukishima opened the door, unveiling a sky full of stars. He couldn’t do anything with Kuroo’s arms around his neck, and at the moment he put his hand on the third year’s arm to inform he wanted him to let go, Kuroo just put his head on Tsukishima’s shoulder and his hands around the tall boy’s chest : “Thank you for today, Tsukki. The sky is beautiful tonight, isn’t it ? I’m looking forward the next time we’ll see each other again,” said in a sweet way Kuroo; Tsukishima just answered while smiling a little : “… you idiot. We’ll definitely see each other again… under a sky full of stars like tonight’s.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, just discovering something interesting about the formatted text ! 8'D *what I am talking abouuuut 8'D*  
> One chapter more and it'll be the end of this fanfic~ ! X3


	4. Epilogue ; "Boys only want love if it's torture."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter~~ !! :D

In the wake of the sweet event that brought them closer, it was time for Kuroo and Tsukishima to separate; both teams cleaned their room, leaving an empty place. Soon, the noises made by the balls in the gymnasium, the fast steps and the marks leaved by the volleyball shoes, as well as the laughers resonating in the refectory would disappear, leaving silence and harmony taking back their places in the training camp they spent some unforgettable moments of their youth.

Heading out to the bus that’d bring them back to Sendai, Karasuno team said goodbye to the team that helped them to grow stronger; this was a happy moment where all had a smile on their faces, promising they’d definitely meet again in Tokyo or even in a tournament. About to get on the bus, Tsukishima looked behind him and saw Kuroo, a sweet yet sad smile on his face : he waved goodbye at the same time as the other members of his team; when Tsukishima saw him, and when their eyes crossed, he addressed him a faint smile, just enough for the captain to see it.

When Tsukishima entered the bus, he chose the place where he could see Kuroo, close to a window; obviously, Yamaguchi followed him and they were in the first sat in the bus, waiting for the other members to get on too so they could go. Hearing some ruckus outside, Tsukishima put his elbow on the edge of the window, resting his head on his hand, the eyes in the void. He then noticed Kuroo waving his hands in front of the window : the captain was showing by a finger his phone, which he put out of his pocket; Tsukishima could also see he was saying something, so he tried to read on his lips : “watch your phone” he could read after creasing his eyes.

At the moment when he did what Kuroo asked him, he could just see a dark screen. When he tried to turn on his phone once more, it didn’t work, so he just looked his phone with an annoyed look; Yamaguchi, next to him, just stated what was obvious : “Maybe you don’t have battery anymore… ? I saw you didn’t plug in your charger yesterday…”; at this statement, Tsukishima realized, and just looked at him with a blank look before looking back at Kuroo and saying though the window, by his lips, that he didn’t have battery anymore. That’s with a saddened look Kuroo answered.

As their “window-conversation” took place, all the members were already on the bus; Kuroo was about saying something but the doors closed and the bus started to move, just leaving the time to wave hands, until Nekoma team became too far to see. As the bus drove, Tsukishima could see all sort of sceneries he had never seen before : Tokyo’s landscapes were new to him.

After four hours of driving, including some hours of sleep, Tsukishima could finally go home; training was canceled for this day, and was resuming the day after, so he could just relax for today and maybe catch up with his sleep, which he missed for some days. Arrived at his house, he directly headed to his room, plugging his phone and collapsed on his bed, closing for a while his eyes. He suddenly jumped of surprise when he heard his phone ringing : it was a message from Kuroo. Smiling a little more since he was alone in his room, he opened the message and could read :

“Sorry, Tsukki.  
I lied.  
I said I won but I actually lost.  
I don’t want this to be a game anymore.  
I love you. I’m hopelessly in love with you.  
So please… just be mine.”

Reading the first lines of the message, he really thought it’d be over, but the two last lines just get a laughter out of him; he was flustered, blushed but also wanted to cry; all at the same time : Kuroo was the only one who could make him feel like this. Smiling gently, he took the phone closer to his face, and sent a reply :

“Me too… I… the same, Kuroo-san.”

He then turned off his phone, bringing it near his chest, feeling his raising heartbeats.

When could the countdown to their next meeting begin ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god I'm getting emotional ;__;  
> I spent 4 days (yes, entire days) to write this fanfic and to think it's now finished... T___T  
> My love for Kurotsuki grew stronger as I was writing those words ♥
> 
> Oh, and also, I tried, as a student in linguistics, to translate Kuroo's confession into Japanese 8'D It'd be something like that :  
> 『ごめん、ツッキー。  
> 嘘をついた。  
> 「勝った」と言ったけど、実は俺の負けだ。  
> これはもうゲームにしてほしくない。  
> 好きだ。本当にどうしようもなく好きだ。  
> だから... 俺のものになって。』 
> 
> Special thanks :  
> → to Suri, the bêta-reader for this fanfic, who had to deal with my shitty first draft and had to correct all my grammar mistakes ;__; (if you want to know, it's thanks to her I was able to write this because she sent me the Shia video and.... OMG it was like a punch in my face lol)  
> AND I WANT TO MENTION SHE STAYED 2 DAYS TO CORRECT ALL I AM SO GRATEFUL TO HER ;___;  
> She also had to deal with all my doubts, fears, blocks and bad character as I was writing hahaha ^^"" (I'm scary when I write lol)  
> → to Amy-darling for her thoughts on my fanfic as a veteran reader~  
> → to my endless music playlist (Cascada, Trignal, and Sekaiichi Hatsukoi OSTs~)  
> → to you, who read my fanfic ! ♥
> 
> I still have a lot of projects for Kurotsuki, so you'll maybe see soon another fanfic written by me ! :3


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